2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding
In July 2019, parts of the Yorkshire Dales, in North Yorkshire, England, were subjected to above average rainfall for the time of year. The flash-flooding that followed affected many communities destroying bridges, sweeping roads away, causing landslips on railway lines and resulting in at least one public event being cancelled. The flooding even inundated the fire station in the town of Leyburn, in Wensleydale, whilst the crew were out helping those in need. The recovery took many weeks and months, with immediate help by the rescue services being bolstered by British Army personnel who assisted with the clean up.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding
The flood was described as being a 1-in-100 year event with one newspaper report later describing the conditions as being "monsoon-like weather".


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Meteorological history
Average annual rainfall in the Pennines is 59 inches (1,500 mm) which drops away at the east coast where the average is 24 inches (600 mm). The Pennines are known to be part of the rain shadow in the United Kingdom; this is due to the prevailing westerly winds dropping precipitation on the western side of the country and leaving the eastern side drier. Comparisons can be made between Manchester, on the western side of the Pennines, and Sheffield on the eastern side.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Meteorological history
These two cities are 35 miles (56 km) apart, and 128 feet (39 m) and 433 feet (132 m) above sea level respectively. Manchester's average rainfall is 33.8 inches (858 mm) and Sheffield's is 31.6 inches (802 mm). Between the two cities is the Peak District, which has the same effect as the Pennines, dropping more rain on the west than on the east. Of the top ten rainiest cities or towns in England, only Huddersfield, in Yorkshire, is on the eastern side of mainland Britain; the rest are on the west side of the rain shadow.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Meteorological history
The wettest location in the Yorkshire Dales is Snaizeholme (which is in Widdale) 1,900 feet (579 m) above sea level, and where the average annual rainfall is 77 inches (1,957 mm). The Yorkshire Dales (and the Howgill Fells) have suffered historical flooding in 1870,1890, 1899 and 1986 (Hurricane Charley). The floods of January 1890 swept away the bridge over the Swale at Gunnerside.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Meteorological history
Peak flooding has also been recorded in the 1940s, the 1960s and the 1980s. Flash floods have affected the area throughout the 21st century, with events occurring in 2009, in June 2012, and September 2012 which closed the A1 road. In 2016, a flash flood inundated the White Scar Caves visitor centre.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Meteorological history
Most of these flood events have been described as "intense, highly localized convectional summer storms, under anticyclonic conditions, or by slow moving or near-stationary fronts." This can be seen in the fact that the area where the water fell, was concentrated in a 4-mile (6.4 km) radius around the town of Reeth; places like Bellerby and Leyburn suffered as a result of rainfall elsewhere, whereas Richmond, 10 miles (16 km) to the east, was described as having no rain at all on the day of the floods.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Meteorological history
Most flooding events in Britain have been the result of a climatic condition known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO-) when it has been in a negative phase, which can lead to wetter seasons. Records indicate that the River Swale has had 145 flash flood events between 1700 and 2013. Flooding in Swaledale, Wensleydale and Nidderdale, usually results in flooding on the River Ouse in York.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Physical causes
On the 30 July 2019, the Yorkshire Dales and east Cumbria regions experienced extreme above average rainfall from what is typically expected in the summertime. Malham Tarn in the Craven District of Yorkshire, typically receives 3.5 inches (89 mm) of rain as a monthly average; on the 30 July 2019, 3.2 inches (81 mm) fell in a 24-hour period, with most of that actually falling within four hours. Langthwaite in Arkengarthdale, was stated to have received 5.2 inches (132 mm) in two hours, and Arkle Town received 4 inches (102 mm), with 3.2 inches (82 mm) of that falling in 90 minutes.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Physical causes
Over 7.7 square miles (20 km2) of land around the village of Reeth, was listed as having been inundated with over 2,100,000 litres (460,000 imp gal; 550,000 US gal) in just under five hours. A report later stated that this was enough water to fill over 800 Olympic-sized swimming pools.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Background, Physical causes
The same weather front caused flooding in South Manchester, East Cheshire and Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire which lead to the town being partly evacuated in case the damaged reservoir failed and caused an extreme flood event.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Effects and responses
The valleys of Arkengarthdale, Swaledale and Wensleydale were badly hit with flooding, though most of the damage caused by the flooding was in Swaledale and Arkengarthdale. At least 13 footbridges were swept away and 2.2 miles (3.5 km) of footpaths were damaged, eroded completely or covered in debris. More than a dozen rights of way were still closed by the end of December 2019. Park Rangers from the Yorkshire Dales National Park expressed their dismay at the event, stating that Storm Desmond wreaked such devastation that they thought they wouldn't see the likes of it again. The Settle and Carlisle railway line was subjected to a landslip between Ribblehead and Dent railway stations. Whilst this was rectified relatively quickly, buses replaced trains for two days whilst the landslip was dealt with.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Effects and responses
The bridge over Cogden Gill on the Grinton Moor road between Grinton and Leyburn was destroyed by the flash floods. Further upstream, part of the grade II* listed Grinton Smelt Mill (the barrel-arched watercourse)  was destroyed by the floodwater, and leaving the main building in danger of becoming unstable due to erosion by floodwater. The bridge on Grinton Moor had been made famous by featuring in the 2014 Grand Depart of the Tour de France. A bridge that spanned the same stream on the B6270 between Downholme and Grinton, was weakened and became unsafe to drive over and additionally, part of that road was washed away. Extreme flash flooding affected properties in Reeth, Leyburn, Fremington, Grinton, Bellerby, Middleham and Langthwaite.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Effects and responses
One farmer in Reeth had to rescue his sheep from a tree which had been carried there by floodwater "12-foot (3.7 m) deeper than normal." One woman who was watching the water from her cottage in Arkengarthdale, stated how she saw the water approaching Langthwaite. A huge surge of water was observed "..taking the [drystone] walls down, one by one, in the valley. It was unbelievable - they were like dominoes. Then it hit Grinton and Reeth."


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Effects and responses
Whilst no deaths were reported, there were some injuries and close-calls; the landlady of the Red Lion Inn in Langthwaite was in her pub when water came in with such force that it was 5 feet (1.5 m) deep and leaving her submerged up to her chin. A postal worker on his rounds and another man rescued a 92-year old woman who had fallen into a "waist-high stream of water" in her back garden. Pets and livestock were killed and crops ruined. Many houses and other buildings were completely ruined by floodwater ingress.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Effects and responses
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service stated that they had received 115 calls to reports of flooding in Leyburn and Reeth and that over 100 homes were flooded out with sheds and oil tanks floating down roads inbetween houses. The fire station in Leyburn suffered from extreme flooding whilst its crew were out helping those who were affected by the water. The building was renovated and repaired, and was able to be re-occupied by December 2019.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Effects and responses
The Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team (SMRT) went to help people caught in the flooding, including one family who were trapped upstairs in their house. When the team entered the property, the fridge was floating on the water and touching the ceiling of a downstairs room. By the end of the day, the SMRT had effected the rescue of ten people.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Effects and responses
The Ard Rock off-road cycling event, that is held annually in Grinton over the first weekend in August, had to be called-off as the campsite, and main showground, were submerged underwater. The organiser's later awarded the charity clean-up fund almost £50,000. The flooding of the River Swale on the other side of Grinton, inundated the Dales Bike Centre at Fremington, with water pouring off the moor through Grinton Beck flooding properties there, including the Bridge Inn, which had its access footbridge swept away by flood water.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Aftermath
When the clean up started on 31 July, personnel from the British Army were drafted in to help. The troops from the 2nd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment were understood to have been asked by their commanding officer to assist in the clean-up operation rather than being called in by the authorities. More than 300 homes, 30 businesses and 50 farms were flooded out, many of whom were assessed as being "..low wages, low fixed-pension incomes, tenant hill farmers or small businesses" and so were deemed as having little, or no, "financial resistance".


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Aftermath
A week after the event, the local MP announced that the bill to repair roads, bridges, footpaths and buildings could be as high as £3 million, for what was described as a 1-in-100 year event. A temporary bridge spanning Cogden Gill on the B6270 was in place and ready for traffic by 14 August 2019; similarly, the bridge on the C106 on Grinton Moor was given a temporary replacement with an effort starting in repairing the old bridge structure and location. However, further torrential rain in September 2019 prevented the location being used by the 2019 UCI Road World Championships. A treasure chest of £3 million was released to North Yorkshire County Council under the Bellwin scheme for the repair of the two ruined bridges.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Aftermath
Also in September 2019, DEFRA revealed a £2 million fund for farmers who had been affected by the flooding in the Yorkshire Dales and Lincolnshire. At the end of September 2019, residents in Grinton were still waiting for remediation to be carried out on the beck that drops down the southern edge of the dale, and into the River Swale. A house at the bottom of the beck was in danger of collapsing into the water, and a "wait and see" scenario was being undertaken. In October 2019, the Dry Stone Walling Association (DSWA) held a Reeth Wallathon to help repair many broken boundaries in the fields; they managed to rebuild over 720 feet (220 m).


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Aftermath
Businesses in Leyburn were still just re-opening some six months after the flooding. The local newspaper, the Darlington and Stockton Times, said the effects of the flash-flooding were long-lasting and described the event as "monsoon-like weather".


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Aftermath
In February 2020, the local authority's application for extra funding was refused by the government as the flash-flooding was not deemed severe enough in terms of damage to properties and livelihoods. The response stated that "we normally expect that the local authorities have well established contingency arrangements in place such as funding from existing budgets and the resources to respond and support local communities. We appreciate that this would come as disappointing news, but we would not be able to extend this funding to flooding outside of this."


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Aftermath
Also in February 2020, many of the communities and valleys listed above, suffered further flooding in Storm Dennis and Storm Ciara.


2019 Yorkshire Dales flooding, Aftermath
The new bridge over Cogden Gill carrying the B6270 Richmond to Grinton road, was opened to traffic in November 2020. Both it, and the bridge over Cogden Gill on the Grinton to Leyburn road, had temporary bridges installed by the council. The second bridge (on the road to Leyburn), was expected to open soon after, and was unveiled in March 2021.


2019 Yorkshire Diamonds season
The 2019 season was Yorkshire Diamonds' fourth and final season, in which they competed in the Women's Cricket Super League, a Twenty20 competition. The side finished fourth in the group stage, winning five of their ten matches.


2019 Yorkshire Diamonds season
The side was captained by Lauren Winfield and coached by Danielle Hazell. They played two home matches apiece at Headingley Cricket Ground and Clifton Park, and one at the North Marine Road Ground. Following the season, women's domestic cricket in England was reformed, with the creation of new "regional hubs", with Yorkshire Diamonds replaced by Northern Diamonds, which retained some elements of the original team but represent a larger area.


2019 Yorkshire Diamonds season, Squad
Yorkshire Diamonds confirmed their squad on 6 August 2019. Age given is at the start of Yorkshire Diamonds' first match of the season (6 August 2019).


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election
A by-election was held in the federal riding of York—Simcoe in Ontario on February 25, 2019, following the resignation of incumbent Conservative MP Peter Van Loan. After 15 years in Parliament, the former Leader of the Official Opposition announced that he would resign his seat. The by-election occurred alongside two others; Outremont and Burnaby South.


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election
The seat was held for the Conservatives by Scot Davidson.


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election, Background, Constituency
York—Simcoe is a rural constituency based in the York Region and Simcoe County, just to the north of the Greater Toronto Area. York—Simcoe has been considered a safe seat for the Conservatives, but at the 2015 election the Liberal Party saw a huge increase in share of vote; 26 percentage points.


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election, Background, Representation
Peter Van Loan announced on July 29, 2018, that he would be resigning as MP for York—Simcoe effective September 30, 2018. Van Loan has held the seat since the riding's creation in 2004.


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election, Campaign
Scot Davidson, Heather Fullerton, and Jason Verkaik sought the Conservative nomination. In a nomination meeting on October 20, Scot Davidson was declared the Conservative candidate.


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election, Campaign
Shaun Tanaka, a local professor and the riding's 2015 Liberal candidate, won the Liberal nomination.


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election, Campaign
In a nomination meeting on December 6, Jessa McLean was acclaimed as the NDP candidate.


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election, Campaign
Sébastien Corriveau, leader of the Rhinoceros Party, stated his intention to run in this by-election, but he did not register.


2019 York—Simcoe federal by-election, Campaign
The Speaker's warrant regarding the vacancy was received on October 1, 2018; under the Parliament of Canada Act the writ for a by-election had to be dropped no later than March 30, 2019, 180 days after the Chief Electoral Officer was officially notified of the vacancy via a warrant issued by the Speaker. The by-election was called on January 9, 2019, to be held on February 25, 2019.


2019 Youngstown State Penguins football team
The 2019 Youngstown State Penguins football team represented Youngstown State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Bo Pelini and played their home games at Stambaugh Stadium. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 6–6, 2–6 in MVFC play to finish in eighth place.


2019 Youngstown State Penguins football team, Previous season
The Penguins finished the 2018 season 4–7, 3–5 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place.


2019 Youngstown State Penguins football team, Preseason, MVFC poll
In the MVFC preseason poll released on July 29, 2019, the Penguins were predicted to finish in seventh place.


2019 Youngstown State Penguins football team, Preseason, Preseason All–MVFC team
The Penguins did not have any players selected to the preseason all-MVFC team.


2019 Youngstown State Penguins football team, Schedule
YSU has scheduled 12 games in the 2019 season instead of the 11 normally allowed for FCS programs. Under a standard provision of NCAA rules, all FCS teams are allowed to schedule 12 regular-season games in years in which the period starting with Labor Day weekend and ending with the last Saturday of November contains 14 Saturdays.


2019 Youth Media Awards
The 2019 Youth Media Awards were held by the American Library Association on January 28, 2019. The awards recognize books written for children and young adults and the authors and illustrators who create them.


2019 Youth Media Awards, May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture
The Arbuthnot Lecture recognizes an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children's literature. The 2020 lecturer is Neil Gaiman whose work creating modern comics and as a proponent of intellectual freedom was cited.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are given to books written for adults which have appeal to teenagers.


2019 Youth Media Awards, American Indian Youth Literature Award
This award, given biannually in even years, will be announced as part of the Youth Media Awards for the first time in 2020.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
This award promotes Asian/Pacific American culture in books. The picture book winner was Drawn Together by Minh Lê and illustrated by Dan Santat, the children's literature winner was Front Desk by Kelly Yang, and the Young Adult literature winner was Darius the Great is Not Okay.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given to children's books published in a language other than English and then translated into English for publication in the United States.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Pura Belpré Awards
The Pura Belpré Award is given to Latinx writers and illustrators of children's books.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is given to the most distinguished American picture book


2019 Youth Media Awards, Children's Literature Legacy Award
The Children's Literature Legacy Award is given as a lifetime achievement award to an author or illustrator of children's books. The award was given for the first time under this name after being renamed from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. Walter Dean Myers was given the award, with Somewhere in the Darkness and Monster specifically cited.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Corretta Scott King Book Awards
The Coretta Scott King Awards are given to African American authors and illustrators that "demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values."


2019 Youth Media Awards, Margaret Edwards Award
The Margaret Edwards Award is a lifetime achievement award for young adult writers. The 2019 recipient was M.T. Anderson who was cited for his work on Feed, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party and The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves.


2019 Youth Media Awards, William C. Morris Award
The Moriss Award is given to a first-time teen author.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal is given to the most outstanding contribution to children's literature.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award
Given for the first time in 2019, this award is given to a digital media resource for early learners. The 2019 recipient was Play and Learn Science by PBS Kids. The two honor recipients were Coral Reef by Tinybop and Lexi's World by Pop Pop Pop.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Odyssey Award
The Odyssey Award is given to the best audiobook for children or young adults.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Printz Award
The Printz Award is given to excellence in young adult literature.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Schenider Family Book Award
The Schnieder Family Book Award is given to a book that shows the disability experience.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Sibert Award
The Sibert Award is given to the most distinguished informational book for children.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Stonewall Book Award
The Stonewall Book Award is given to children's and young adult books relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Sydney Taylor Book Award
The Sydney Taylor Book Award is given to children's and young adult books that portray the Jewish experience. The younger reader winner was All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, the older reader winner was Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier, and the teen reader winner was What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper.


2019 Youth Media Awards, YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults was given to The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees written and illustrated by Don Brown. Four books were given honors:  The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor, by Sonia Sotomayor, Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam, by Elizabeth Partridge, The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, written and illustrated by John Hendrix, and Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction, written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Reaction and Reception
HarperCollins and Penguin-Random House each won the most recognition with 11 citations each. Forty-seven of the award winners were women, while 30 were men. The Newbery and Caldecott winners were considered surprising as they were not on many of the lists of predicted winners. The omission of Dreamers, winner of the Belpre Illustrator award, from the Caldecott was also criticised. Newbery winner Meg Medina, who serves on the advisory board of the advocacy organization We Need Diverse Books was pleased to see the diversity of the winners.


2019 Youth Media Awards, Reaction and Reception
Elizabeth Acevedo whose The Poet X won recognition for both the Printz and Belpre awards was "shaking" after hearing about her Printz win and was shocked at her Belpre win, "To get that honor is so special." Sophie Blackall said she was "weeping" when she learned she had won her second Caldecott Medal while visiting Myanmar.


2019 Youth World Weightlifting Championships
The 2019 Youth World Weightlifting Championships was held at the Westgate Las Vegas in Las Vegas, United States from 8 March to 15 March 2019.


2019 Youth World Weightlifting Championships, Medals tables
Ranking by all medals: Big (Total result) and Small (Snatch and Clean & Jerk)


2019 Yuen Long District Council election
The 2019 Yuen Long District Council election was held on 24 November 2019 to elect all 39 elected members to the 45-member Yuen Long District Council.


2019 Yuen Long District Council election
The pro-Beijing and rural domination was turned over in the historic landslide victory where the pro-democrats took over all the urban constituencies and a few rural constituencies amid the massive pro-democracy protests. As a results, the pro-democrats took 33 of the 39 elected seats and seized control of the 45-member council for the first time.


2019 Yuen Long attack
The 2019 Yuen Long attack, also known as the 721 incident, refers to a mob attack that occurred in Yuen Long, a town in the New Territories in Hong Kong, on the evening of 21 July 2019. It took place in the context of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. An armed mob of suspected triad members dressed in white indiscriminately attacked civilians on streets with steel rods and rattan canes, before attacking members of the public in nearby Yuen Long station including the elderly, children, protesters  returning from a demonstration in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island, journalists and lawmakers.


2019 Yuen Long attack
Despite over 24,000 calls to the 999 emergency hotline, the police only arrived 39 minutes after the attacks and one minute after the mob had left the station. The police stood idle at a nearby police station and no arrests were made that night. At least 45 people were injured in the incident, including a pregnant woman. The police force's inaction, as well as mounting evidence of corruption and misconduct by the Hong Kong police, led some citizens to accuse the police of collusion with the mob, failing in their duty to protect the public.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Background
Protests against the controversial extradition bill had been going on since March. Recent demonstrations had turned into clashes. On the one hand, government supporters who favoured the extradition bill praised police as defenders of law and order. On the other hand, there is also the increase of reports alleging that the police have adopted violent strategies against the protesters.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Background, 16 July Yuen Long
On the evening of 16 July, it was reported that some local Fugitive Offenders Bill protestors had held a public screening of video clips on the alleged police brutality in public order events at the Fung Yau Street North Sitting-out Area. Towards the end of the screening, several people dressed in white confronted the group in a brief non-violent commotion, which subsided when the police arrived.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Background, 16 July Yuen Long
Soon after, there were online posts calling for people to "Liberate Yuen Long" (光復元朗) and to take part in a public meeting to be held on 21 July at Yuen Long in protest against those who had disrupted the screening. In response, online posts urged Yuen Long residents to protect their homeland and to expel protesters, with warnings of potential violence against protesters.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Background, 21 July Sheung Wan
On Sunday 21 July, the Civil Human Rights Front organised a protest from Causeway Bay to Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, with black being the dress code again.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Background, 21 July Sheung Wan
Many protestors, however, did not stop at the designated end point at Luard Road in Wan Chai, and continued to walk in the direction of Sheung Wan arriving at the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong close to 7:00 pm. Protestors then proceeded to throw eggs and black ink at the building and defaced the National Emblem on the building. The rally devolved into a violent clash between the protestors and the police. According to the police, the police force was mainly focused on the public procession on Hong Kong Island, while Yuen Long was manned on a "skeleton" basis.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Attack
In the evening, assailants wearing white shirts and armed with iron bars and wooden clubs gathered in Yuen Long. At around 10 pm, these assailants started indiscriminately attacking people and cars on the street. They were reportedly targeting those wearing black, the dress code for the democracy rally on Hong Kong Island, but also attacked journalists and bystanders. One pregnant woman, wearing a long white dress, was found lying on the floor.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Attack
At around 10:30 pm, about a hundred white-shirted assailants appeared at Yuen Long railway station and attacked commuters in the concourse indiscriminately, on the platform and inside train compartments. Two police officers arrived at 10:52 pm. However, they left the station as they judged that they were outnumbered by the assailants and did not have sufficient gear, according to the police. Thirty police officers arrived at the station at 11:20 pm, but the assailants had left. Due to the violence, trains bypassed Yuen Long station between 10:56 pm and 11:19 pm, and the station was ordered closed at 11:55 pm.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Attack
However, after midnight, white-shirted assailants forced open the station's shutters to launch a second wave of attacks on passengers; no police officers were at the scene then. In all, at least 45 citizens were reported injured, including Legislative Council member Lam Cheuk-ting and two reporters; one other journalist had their equipment smashed.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Attack
Citizens made calls to the emergency hotline upon seeing the armed group assembling at around 7:00 pm, and an MTR spokesman said the first call by the MTR to the police was made at around 10:45 pm, but police officers arrived more than three hours after initial calls for help were made. The local police call centre received thousands of calls between 10 pm and midnight, and some citizens could not connect to the reporting hotline. The management of Yoho Mall, a shopping centre next to Yuen Long station, also attempted to call the police but they could not get in touch with them. The police station in Yuen Long shut its gate in response to the hundreds that turned up to report the incident.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Attack
Overnight, the police set up a perimeter outside Nam Pin Wai Village. Riot police attempted to enter but retreated back to the perimeter as the white shirt mob threw water bottles. Half a dozen white shirt thugs carrying metal rods came forward and intimidated reporters, two riot police chatted with two of them and patted one on the shoulder before letting them go. Police then entered the village, brought a white shirt man away, but later stated he was not arrested.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Attack
Around 3:55 am, the white shirt mob started leaving either in vehicles or by walking around the police's perimeter, none were stopped or questioned by the police. As the mob left, police confiscated dozens of wooden sticks and steel rods in the car park, though no arrests were made as they claimed they "saw no one holding weapons" and "noticed nothing criminal" in the village and claimed they could not determine the identity of the white-shirted mobsters as "wearing white shirt did not mean they would the ones attacked in Yuen Long station".


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Late arrival
An MTR spokesman said workers at the station saw disputes taking place at about 10:45 pm and immediately contacted police within two minutes. However, the police officers only arrived at around 11:15 pm, when the mob was gone, despite receiving many other citizens' call to 999 for help. Residents also reported being ignored and treated rudely by 999 responders, who claimed they "should stay at home if they are afraid". Upon arrival, police were surrounded by dozens of angry residents and protesters who accused police of deliberately retreating after being called to the scene for the first assault. It was revealed by RTHK that the police had sent plainclothed officers to monitor the situation prior to the attack, but they did not intervene despite the fact that some of the white-shirters were already carrying weapons.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Late arrival
Police Commander Li Hon-man, who was interviewed at the scene by journalists, was asked why police had arrived late. He was recorded on video saying "I don't know if we were late" and claimed to not have looked at his watch. Police said later that dealing with the concurrent anti-government protests on Hong Kong Island had stretched their resources. The following day, contact information for Li had been removed from the government directory, along with removal of the details for 11 other lower-ranking officers from the Yuen Long Division.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Late arrival
Yuen Long District Council members including Zachary Wong and Johnny Mak had alerted the police on 20 July after they heard rumors from rural groups that a potential triad attack was about to take place. The police responded by saying that they were also alerted by the news and would deploy sufficient manpower to deal with the situation. Wong, in a radio programme, disclosed that a group of white-shirters assaulted him, but as he approached a group of police officers nearby for protection, the group of police left and drove away.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Late arrival
Meanwhile, leaked videos show that two uniformed police officers had arrived on the scene but then turned away. Police responded that the two policemen had backed off and called for help as they considered that they did not have the equipment to deal with armed crowds.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Shutting nearby police station
Many also criticised the fact that police stations in the vicinity of the Yuen Long attacks shut their doors, despite a large group of residents who were there to report crimes. Police replied that the shut-down was for safety reasons due to large groups of protesters surrounding the stations.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Apprehending suspects
After blocking entrances to the area for more than three hours, the police made no arrests. When queried, the police explained that it could not be confirmed that those in white were the ones who participated in the violence and that the police were unable to record the identities of those in white because of their large numbers. Yau Nai-keung, the Assistant District Commander of Crime in Yuen Long, also stated that the colleagues did not see anyone holding weapons at the area at all.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Apprehending suspects
Six men were arrested on 22 July 2019. According to the police, one of the arrested suspects had a triad background. Five more men were arrested on 23 July 2019.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Apprehending suspects
On 26 August, two men were charged and held without bail in relation to the Yuen Long attacks. Of the 30 people who have so far been arrested, some of whom have links to organised crime syndicates, only four individuals have been charged as suspects. Court hearings were scheduled to begin on 25 October.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Alleged collusion
Pro -democratic lawmaker Eddie Chu, representing New Territories West, stated: "Police didn't show up while thugs rampaged through the station and attacked Yuen Long residents indiscriminately last night," stating that this meant there was "clear collusion between police and the gangs."


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Alleged collusion
Triad gangsters were previously linked to attacks on democracy activists in Mong Kok during the 2014 Umbrella Movement. At that time, police were similarly accused of not responding in a timely manner and criticised for allowing attacks to occur.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Criticism of police's response, Allegations of misconduct in public office
Stephen S.N. Char, barrister and former Chief Investigator of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, indicated that intentional negligence by police officers who refused to offer public services might have committed the offence of misconduct in public office under the common law. On 21 January 2020, eight people injured in the attack, including lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, announced that they had filed a lawsuit against the police force, demanding 2.7 million Hong Kong dollars in compensation; Lam stated that the lawsuit had been filed to seek "justice for the victims and for Hong Kong".


2019 Yuen Long attack, Suspected involvement of Junius Ho
In various videos posted online, it was observed that Junius Ho, a Hong Kong politician and a member of the Legislative Council, greeted a group of white-clothed group men, shaking their hands and calling them "heroes", giving them thumbs-up and saying to them "thank you for your hard work." At least one of the white-clothed men who shook hands with Ho has been shown to have been inside Yuen Long station during the attacks. This has led to the suspicion of Ho being involved with the incident in question by members of Hongkong's opposition.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Suspected involvement of Junius Ho
Ho later explained that he lived in Yuen Long and was merely passing by after dinner and agreed to greet one of his supporters who requested to take photos with him. Ho said he did not know anything about the attack when greeting them, and the meeting was before the incident. However, he also defended the mob at a press conference by saying that the incidents were a "normal reaction to protesters who brought violence to the peaceful community after they stormed the liaison office" and also praised them for "safeguarding" their district.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Suspected involvement of Junius Ho
The Law Society, of which Ho was once president, said it had received "quite a number of complaints" and is "seriously looking into" calls for disciplinary action against Ho and "conducting reviews on relevant complaints, and will pass the matter to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal if necessary."


2019 Yuen Long attack, Suspected involvement of Junius Ho
A number of student bodies and alumni associations had openly condemned both his suspected support of the attack, and what they described as his hate speech which had damaged the image of Lingnan University. The university issued a statement afterwards, in which it denied that there was any connection between the stance of university and the actions of Ho. The statement also highlighted the university's respect for freedom of speech.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath
Many shops on the streets and in shopping malls were closed in Yuen Long and the neighbouring towns Tuen Mun, Tin Shui Wai and Tsuen Wan on 22 July 2019. Rumours spread online warned that there would be more violence on that day. Many companies allowed employees who live in the districts to leave work early that day. Some schools in the district cancelled their afternoon activities. Leisure and cultural facilities in Yuen Long operated by government closed early out of public safety considerations.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath
Junius Ho's office in Tsuen Wan was vandalised by the protesters after the attack. A glass partition was broken, as well as leaving memo that "suggested a link between the violent gangs that carried out the attack the previous day and the police force". Protesters also posted anti-government sticky notes on the exterior wall of his offices in Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath
A group of unknown also vandalised the graves of his parents in Tuen Mun, vandals also left graffiti with words such as "official-triad collusion" and "Shing Wo" (a triad) near the graves, fuelling rumours regarding the background of the vandals.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath
A news conference was held on 24 July by six people who were attacked and had decided to come forward with their stories. Several people in the group, including lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, stated they may appeal for financial compensation of damages in a court of law and file suite against the police and the MTR Corporation. Lam also said that his political party would assist any others who wish to press charges and seek redress.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Reclaim Yuen Long protest
Protests originally planned on 27 and 28 July in Hung Hom-To Kwa Wan, Tseung Kwan O and Hong Kong Islands West were rescheduled or postponed to make way for a Reclaim Yuen Long action on 27 July. However, the police issued the Letter of Objection, saying the proposed anti-mob march might 'create serious obstruction to the roads and pose a danger to marchers', after receiving pressure from the rural groups. The applicant announced he would instead walk alone along the originally proposed route and urged people not to follow him.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Reclaim Yuen Long protest
Despite the risk of committing the unlawful assembly offence, tens of thousands of people, or 288,000 as the original march applicant estimated, turned up in the town. Many protesters marched on Castle Peak Road. The police fired tear gas in the evening, including near residential areas. The police insisted that the tear gas shot did not affect the seniors living in an elderly home nearby, though photos showed otherwise. Starting from 5 pm, the police fired canisters of tear gas upon protesters near Sai Pin Wai village and Nam Pin Wai Village, while protesters hurled objects in return.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Reclaim Yuen Long protest
While MTR had arranged special trains in Long Ping station to help protesters to leave Yuen Long, riot police began dispersing protesters with more force around 7:30 pm, using batons and rubber bullets. Protesters fleeing to Yuen Long station were followed by the Special Tactical Squad, and a standoff occurred inside the station.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Reclaim Yuen Long protest
In the protest, a passenger car near Nam Pin Wai was vandalised by the protesters. Several weapons were discovered in the car that looked the same as the weapons brandished by the white-shirted men in the 21 July attacks, as well as a hat that resembled the uniform of Mainland law enforcement. On 28 July, police arrested the car owner for possession of weapons. Online rumours arose regarding the identity of a personal name that was found on a bill inside the car, claiming that person was connected to the Liaison Office, which the Liaison Office denied.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Monthly Yuen Long sit-ins
On 21 August 2019, thousands of demonstrators staged a sit-in protest at Yuen Long station to demand justice and to remember the victims of the mob attacks that had occurred exactly one month prior on 21 July. On the 21st day of each month, citizens staged sit-ins or assemblies in Yuen Long, especially inside Yuen Long station or the neighbouring YOHO Mall.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Monthly Yuen Long sit-ins
Sit -in on 21 February 2020 inside Yuen Long Light Rail stop


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Monthly Yuen Long sit-ins
On 21 March 2020, police fired tear gas in Yuen Long


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Narrative by police
While the police and the government initially recognised that the incident was "violent" and "shocking", as the attackers assaulted the commuters inside the Yuen Long MTR station, the police attempted to reshape the narrative in their favour over the following year. The police force refused to apologise for its slow response, despite recognising that the police's response that day had failed to live up to the public's expectations.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Narrative by police
After the retirement of Stephen Lo, the new police commissioner, Chris Tang, began to give a completely different account, saying that the incident only became heated when lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting arrived at the station. The police's account aligned with that of Junius Ho's and pro-Beijing group's accusation that Lam's appearance "stirred up" the conflict and eventually caused a "fight". Superintendent Kong Wing-cheung later echoed Tang's statement, saying that the attack started because of "a group" has led the protesters to Yuen Long, though he later backtracked by saying that it was only his "personal observation".


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Narrative by police
The Independent Police Complaints Council, which was controlled by pro-Beijing individuals, concluded the Yuen Long attack had been a "gang fight". Lam Cheuk-ting was arrested on 26 August 2020 for "rioting" for showing up in Yuen Long station on 21 July 2019, in addition to another non-violence related charge pertaining to events of 6 July 2019. The police, on the day of Lam's arrest, further changed the account and said that the incident was a clash "between two evenly matched rivals", alleged that the photo evidence and reporter commentary were "one-sided", and that the attack was not indiscriminate.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Narrative by police
However, according to the footage recorded that day, the white-clad attackers had already congregated and attacked pedestrians outside Yuen Long station before Lam had even arrived. Fellow lawmaker, Wu Chi-wai, commenting on Lam's arrest, added that "the prosecution is ‘calling a deer a horse’ and twisting right and wrong". Lam was a victim of the attack as he was assaulted by the white-clad attackers that day inside the train compartment. Following the incident, he required 18 stitches for a mouth wound. Members of the Yuen Long District Council released a statement, criticising the police of rewriting history and erasing facts.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Narrative by police
Lawyer Antony Dapiran described the police's statement as "gaslighting of the highest order". In a statement, Clifford Stott, who was once an IPCC's consultants, added that the police were trying to write "their own history of 2019" that fit with their "ideological position of portraying the protest crowds as irrational mobs" in an attempt to "mask the role of [the] state in the construction of crowd violence and to legitimize reactionary forms of policing".


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Narrative by police
Gwyneth Ho, a former Stand News reporter who was assaulted by one of the white-clad men while livestreaming during the attack, added that any attempt by the police to distort the facts would be futile because the event was among the most live-streamed incidents of 2019, and videos had already been widely circulated on the Internet.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Prosecution
The police failed to arrest the perpetrators adequately and promptly following the attack. The role of Junius Ho in the attack was never investigated, and the police did not invite the victims of the attacks to identify the suspects. As of 28 July 2020, 58 people, aged 18 to 61, have been arrested, and 15 of them were charged with rioting.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Prosecution
The Department of Justice has since been criticised by some lawyers for making "politically motivated" prosecutions, since assailants of the Yuen Long attack had not been charged several weeks after the event, while young protesters in the ongoing protests were charged with rioting within several days. Six months after the attack, most shops in the area have not been contacted by police for evidence.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Prosecution
The Yuen Long attack was widely considered to be the turning point of the protests, as the police's inadequate response and alleged collusion with the triads crippled people's confidence in the police and turned a lot of citizens who were politically neutral or apathetic against the police. Amidst frustration that authorities had refused to prosecute pro-government violent counter-protesters and being increasingly distrustful of police, some protesters became more radical.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Prosecution
Anthony Chau Tin-hang is the lead prosecutor, and in February 2021, judge Eddie Yip expressed frustration accusing of Chau glossing over important facts, such as who started the attacks.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Arrest of investigative journalist
Choy Yuk-ling (also called Bao Choy), a freelance journalist who filmed a documentary about the mob attack on pro-democracy protesters for Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) was arrested by police on the evening of 3 November 2020, charged with misusing a government vehicle licensing database and making false statements to obtain information and records about car owners. She tried to discover the owners of a few vehicles suspected of supplying weapons to the attackers who launched an indiscriminate attack on scores of people. The owners of cars were identified as rural village leaders.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Arrest of investigative journalist
She checked a box to declare that the vehicle registration searches were for "other traffic and transport related matters". Other options available when accessing the database are "legal proceedings" and "sale and purchase of vehicle". While the previously available option "other purposes" had been scrapped, the magistrate said that Choy should have considered other means to obtain the information. Police dismissed allegations that the arrest was an attack on press freedom. Choy said, "Whatever speculation there is, [it] will cause concern in the news industry. I don't think there is any benefit to the Hong Kong public."


2019 Yuen Long attack, Aftermath, Arrest of investigative journalist
Secretary for Security John Lee said the investigation was "no different from any other investigation that the police have been doing, as a result of a complaint." Choy was found guilty on 22 April 2021 and fined HK$6,000. The Foreign Correspondents Club on 22 April strongly criticised the verdict as setting a "dangerous precedent" for "legal action against journalists for engaging in routine reporting". To the FCC statement, on 23 April a spokesperson from the Hong Kong Liaison Office responded by saying that the FCC statement had "openly vilified the SAR Government and trampled upon the rule of law on the pretext of press freedom", and that the FCC should "know [its] place".


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
Several politicians such as Kenneth Leung, Roy Kwong and other public figures condemned the incident as a terrorist attack.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
Hong Kong Economic Times compared the attack with two terrorist attacks in Mainland China in 2014, suggesting the Yuen Long attack may qualify as a terrorist attack according to the Mainland law. The newspaper also compared the attack with U.S. law, making the same conclusion.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
Parties from both factions of the Legislative Council (LegCo), condemned the violence of the attack. Pro -democratic councillors signed a petition to condemn the negligence of the police in allowing suspected triads to become enforcers of their own rules, while the pro-Beijing DAB condemned the violent incident and "demanded that the police follow up on [the attack] seriously".


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
The injured, as well as LegCo Councillors Lam Cheuk-ting (who was also injured in the attack), James Tien, and a number of pro-democratic councillors accused the mob of being members of triad gangs. The police also believed that some of the suspects arrested on 22 July "had triad backgrounds".


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
Some politicians, such as Zachary Wong, Councillor of the Yuen Long District Council, accused the mob of being under the influence of the Beijing central government, citing the opinion of a Liaison Office official in an inauguration event of Shap Pat Heung Rural Committee days earlier. After the attack, Reuters also claimed that they had the audio recording of the speech of the official.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
Journalists' associations condemned the attacks on journalists as "a severe infringement of press freedom".


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
Arthur Shek Kang Chuen, Vice-editor-in-chief of Hong Kong Economic Times and one of the executive directors of its publisher Hong Kong Economic Times Holdings, resigned on 23 July after retracting his personal opinion on encouraging the use of violence on anti-bill protesters; he expressed the opinion during an event supporting police on 20 July, a day before the attack.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
There was backlash on 22 July when 30 protesters demonstrated at Yuen Long police station to condemn the attacks, the delayed police response, and the alleged collusion between police and triad gangs. Hundreds of social workers then marched to the same police station to report the violence, hand over criminal evidence and file complaints against the police.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction
On 2 August, Labour Party representatives held a protest outside the Government offices demanding that Junius Ho be stripped of his title as a Justice of the Peace. Along with a petition of 20,000 signatures, the Labour Party chairman said Ho was unfit to hold the position as he had incited others to use violence.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction, Government response
The government condemned the attacks in a statement released after midnight local time. However, the government refused to categorise the attack as a riot.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction, Government response
Chief Executive Carrie Lam held a media session at 3 pm on 22 July 2019, first condemning protesters for besieging the Liaison Office in Sheung Wan the night before. In addressing why she prioritised the liaison office incident before the Yuen Long mob attack in her remarks, Lam said: "It's important that Hong Kong citizens' daily lives are protected, but I believe all citizens will agree that the successful implementation of one country, two systems is ... even the most important thing."


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction, Government response
Lam did not directly address the media's questions about the alleged delayed response by police to calls for help. Lam ultimately condemned the organised attacks on protesters and bystanders, stating that "violence will only breed more violence." However, former lawmaker James Tien questioned her sincerity and asked if Triads were now ruling Hong Kong. In a Facebook post, he urged Lam to resign for what happened in Yuen Long that night. Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo said he needed to follow up with the incident and refused to comment at this point on the police's reaction towards mobs in this incident compared to the high-pressure approach towards protesters in earlier situations.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Reaction, Government response
On 26 July, Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung apologised to citizens and admitted that the police department's response fell short of public expectations. Questioned about demands for an independent inquiry into police misconduct, Cheung said that the matter would be handled internally. Shortly after the apology, images of printed statements accompanied by warrant cards circulated on-line from dissenting police officers, questioning the need to apologise and calling Cheung an "enemy of the police." The Police Inspectors' Association and the Junior Police Officers' Association expressed "the most serious condemnation" of his statement of apology.


2019 Yuen Long attack, Establishment of District Council task force
The pro-democracy camp won a landslide victory in the 2019 Hong Kong local elections, held later in the year. The Yuen Long District Council, previously dominated by pro-government councillors, also swung pro-democratic, with democrats taking 33 of the 39 elected seats and gaining control of the 45-seat council. The new council term commenced on 1 January 2020. On 7 January, the council passed a motion to establish a working group to investigate the mob attack. The Hong Kong Police Force refused a formal invitation to attend the council meeting. Former student leader Tommy Cheung, now district councillor for Yuen Lung constituency, was elected chairman of the task force.


2019 Yukon Men's Curling Championship
The 2019 Yukon Men's Curling Championship, the territorial men's curling championship for Yukon was held February 7 to 10 at the Whitehorse Curling Club in Whitehorse, Yukon. The winning Jon Solberg team represented the Yukon at the 2019 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship.


2019 Yukon Men's Curling Championship, Draw
As there were three teams that entered, the event was a double round robin. If any team had gone undefeated, they would be declared the champions. However, since no team went undefeated a playoff between the top two teams occurred.


2019 Yukon Men's Curling Championship, Playoff, Final
A final was not necessary as Solberg won the semifinal.


2019 Zagreb Ladies Open
The 2019 Zagreb Ladies Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the ninth edition of the tournament which was part of the 2019 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. It took place in Zagreb, Croatia between 2 and 8 September 2019.


2019 Zagreb Ladies Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Zagreb Ladies Open – Doubles
Andrea Gámiz and Aymet Uzcátegui were the defending champions, but chose not to participate.


2019 Zagreb Ladies Open – Doubles
Anna Bondár and Paula Ormaechea won the title, defeating Amandine Hesse and Daniela Seguel in the final, 7–5, 7–5.


2019 Zagreb Ladies Open – Singles
Tereza Mrdeža was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Anna Bondár.


2019 Zagreb Ladies Open – Singles
Maryna Chernyshova won the title, defeating Réka Luca Jani in the final, 6–1, 6–4.


2019 Zambales local elections
The Zambales local elections was held on May 13, 2019 as part of the 2019 general election. Voters will select candidates for all local positions: a town mayor, vice mayor and town councilors, as well as members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the vice-governor, governor and representatives for the two districts of Zambales. Incumbent Governor Amor Deloso and Vice Governor Angel Magsaysay-Cheng are seeking re-election for their second term.


2019 Zambales local elections
Former Governor Hermogenes Ebdane, who served for two terms from 2010 until his defeat in 2016, won his election as Governor, defeating incumbent Amor Deloso. Incumbent Vice Governor Angel Magsaysay-Cheng was also defeated by Ebdane's running mate Jefferson Khonghun.


2019 Zambian Super League
The 2019 Zambia Super League is the 58th season of the Zambia Super League, the top-tier football league in Zambia. Due to the transitional calendar of the CAF competitions in 2018–19, the 20 teams in the league will be divided into two groups of ten teams stream A and stream B, one of teams from the north and one of teams from the south, Nkana leading one and Zesco United heading the other. The teams top two with the most points will qualify for the CAF Champions League then the other two will play the CAF Confederations Cup. The League will return to normal for the 2019–20 season. The league is set to kick off on the 27th of January, A day after the Charity Shield.


2019 Zambian Super League, Teams
The season will be contested by 20 teams in two groups, the 16 teams which qualified from the 2018 Zambia Super League and four promoted clubs. After the season, only 18 teams will remain in the Super League. The promoted clubs include Circuit City (debut), Mufulira Wanderers (returning after one season), Real Nakonde (returning after one season) and Manchester United Zambia Academy. National Assembly, Nchanga Rangers, Kabwe YSA and New Monze Swallows were relegated from the 2018 Zambia Super League.


2019 Zambian Super League, Teams, Prison Leopards' promotion
Prison Leopards got promoted to the Super League weeks after the 2018 Division One season came to an end which resulted that Real Nakonde be demoted back to Division one the team that was confirmed to have won promotion earlier at the end of the season with a better goal difference but finished level on points with Prison Leopards. Leopards launched complained against their opponents Tazara Express from matchweek 23 to have ineligible players. The match was forfeited and three points plus a three nil scoreline was awarded to Prison Leopards. Tazara Express was hence fined K5000.


2019 Zambian Super League, League restructuring
The Super League will adopt a new format starting in August 2019. At the end of the transitional season in June the Super League will have a reduced number to 18 as the Association looks to increase competitiveness.


2019 Zambian Super League, League restructuring
The start of a new league season in August 2019 will also see the start of the National Division One which will have 18 teams just like the top tier and will be a sponsored league. The two bottom teams from each zone of the transitional Super League will be relegated to the National Division One.


2019 Zambian Super League, League restructuring
For promotion to the Super League after the end of the transitional season in June the four top teams from the zones will face each other in play offs with the two winners (top teams) qualifying to the Super League while the other two will drop to the National Division one.


2019 Zambian Super League, League restructuring
The National Division One will have six teams at this point. To make the total number of teams reach 18 the teams that will finish from 2nd to fourth in each zone will be promoted to the National Division one to make it 18 teams.


2019 Zambian Super League, League tables
In this transitional season, it will be played in two streams A and B. The Stream winners will play-off for the title, the Stream runners-up qualify for CAF Confederation Cup, two clubs will be relegated from each stream while only two clubs will be promoted as the top level league is reduced to 18 clubs for 2020 season.


2019 Zamboanga City local elections
Local elections were held in Zamboanga City on May 13, 2019, within the Philippine general election. The voters elected for the elective local posts in the city: the mayor, vice mayor, and eight councilors per district.


2019 Zamboanga City local elections, Candidates
Dela Cruz is also a guest candidate of Team Climaco Coalition.


2019 Zamboanga City local elections, Results
The candidates for district representative, mayor, and vice mayor, with the highest number of votes, wins the seat; they are voted separately, therefore they may be of different parties when elected.


2019 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, House of Representatives election, 1st District
Incumbent Congressman Celso Lobregat ran for Mayor against former ally, Beng Climaco.


2019 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, House of Representatives election, 2nd District
District II Representative Manuel Jose Dalipe ran for reelection against former Congresswoman Lilia Macrohon-Nuño, former Congressman Erbie Fabian, and outgoing Vice-Mayor Cesar Iturralde.


2019 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, Mayoral elections
Incumbent Mayor Beng Climaco ran for reelection for her third and final term.


2019 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, Vice-mayoral elections
Incumbent and outgoing Vice-Mayor Cesar Iturralde ran for the congressional seat in District II. All candidates for vice-mayor were either incumbent or former city councilors.


2019 Zamboanga City local elections, Results, City Council elections
Each of Zamboanga City's two legislative districts elects eight councilors to the City Council. The eight candidates with the highest number of votes wins the seats per district.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections
Local elections were held in the province of Zamboanga del Norte of the Philippines, on May 13, 2019 as part of the 2019 general election. Voters selected candidates for all local positions: a municipal and city mayor, vice mayor and councilors, as well as members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the governor, vice governor and representatives for the three districts of Zamboanga del Norte.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, Provincial elections, Governor
Incumbent Governor Berto Uy is running for re-election. A candidate for governor by the name of Roberto Escobido Uy participated and entered in the race. On April 4, 2019, the Commission on Elections issued a resolution making Escobido Uy as a nuisance candidate because it bears the same name and same nickname "Berto" in order to confuse the voters. On November 26, 2020, the Supreme Court of the Philippines upheld COMELEC's decision on disqualifying Escobido Uy.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, Congressional elections, 1st District
Incumbent Representative Bullet Jalosjos is term-limited and ineligible for re-election; his party nominated Romeo Jalosjos Jr. for the position. His opponent is Pinpin Uy, son of incumbent governor Berto Uy and former mayor of Polanco, Zamboanga del Norte.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, Provincial board elections, 1st District
Incumbent Board Member Anabel "Bebing" Jalosjos is eligible for re-election but opted to run for mayor of Sibutad.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, Provincial board elections, 3rd District
Incumbent Board Member Angel Carloto is eligible for re-election but opted not to participate. Conkee Buctuan is his party's nominee.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 1st District, Dapitan City
Incumbent Mayor Rosalina "Nene" Jalosjos-Johnson is running for re-election, and incumbent Vice Mayor Ruben Cad opted not to participate. Incumbent Councilor Jimboy Chan is the party's nominee for Vice Mayor. Jalosjos's opponent is former Mayor of Dipolog Evelyn Uy. Uy's candidacy was questioned over her residency and the Dapitan City election registration board disqualified her, but the Regional trial Court in Dipolog upheld her candidacy and ruled that she should be included in the list of candidates.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 1st District, Mutia
Incumbent Mayor Arthur Tenorio is term-limited, and opted to run for Vice Mayor. His wife, incumbent Councilor Melba Tenorio, was fielded as their Mayoral candidate.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 1st District, Piñan
Incumbent Vice Mayor Louida Belangoy opted to run for mayor. Her party fielded incumbent Councilor Deogracias "Junjun" Cimafranca for Vice Mayor.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 1st District, Polanco
Incumbent Sangguniang Bayan members Patty Triambulo and Dario Mandantes, who were both eligible for re-election, opted to run for Municipal Mayor and Vice Mayor respectively.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, Dipolog City
Incumbent Mayor Darel Dexter Uy is running for re-election. His opponents were former Provincial Governor Lando Yebes, and former Jalosjos-ally Clyde Naong.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, President Manuel A. Roxas
Incumbent Vice Mayor Leonor Alberto is term-limited and opted to run for Sangguniang Bayan member. Alberto's party fielded incumbent SB member Ismael "Junior" Rengquijo as vice mayoral candidate.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, Siayan
Incumbent Mayor Flora Villarosa, who was on her third and final term as mayor, was suspended by the Provincial Board for grave misconduct and abuse of authority because of her murder allegations. Vice Mayor Daisy Limbang was to serve as mayor, but this caused a commotion between Villarosa and Limbang with their respective allies all along. Being ineligible for re-election, Villarosa opted to run for 2nd District Representative, and her party fielded Josecor Gepolongca to run for mayor against Vice Mayor Limbang.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 2nd District, Sindangan
Incumbent Mayor Nilo Florentino "Boy" Sy is term-limited and ineligible for re-election, and run for Vice Mayor; former Representative Dodoy Labadlabad is chosen as the party's nominee. His opponents are former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Alexander Yano, and Ritche "Bong" Macias.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 3rd District, Labason
Incumbent Vice Mayor Riza Melicor opted to run for Mayor.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 3rd District, Liloy
Mayor Felixberto "Dodong" Bolando, who was elected Mayor in 2016, passed away in 2018, and Vice Mayor Roberto "Jun" Uy (no relation to incumbent Governor Berto Uy) took Bolando's place as Mayor of Liloy.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 3rd District, Salug
Incumbent Mayor Jeffrey Lim is term-limited and opted to run for Provincial Board Member. His party fielded Jehan Lim as their mayoralty candidate.


2019 Zamboanga del Norte local elections, City and municipal elections, 3rd District, Sibuco
Incumbent Mayor Norbideiri "Bong" Edding opted to run for Third District Representative.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election
The 2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election occurred on March 9, 2019. APC's Mukhtar Shehu Idris polled 67.41% of the total popular votes, defeating PDP's Bello Matawalle who got 23.89% of the total votes and trailed behind by a margin of 345,089 votes, and several minor party candidates. APC swept the entire 14 LGAs of the state, winning in all. It was, however, Matawalle, who was later declared winner by the INEC and sworn in as governor after the verdict of the Supreme Court, which declared Idris' votes as 'wasted'.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election
Idris was announced winner at the gubernatorial primary, to avoid reaching INEC's deadline after a parallel election was organised by the out-going governor.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election
Bello Matawalle emerged winner in the PDP gubernatorial primary election. His running mate was Mahdi Mohammed Gusau.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election
Of the 42 candidates who aspired for the governorship seat, 40 were male, two were female.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election, Electoral system
The Governor of Zamfara State is elected using the plurality voting system.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election, Primary election, PDP primary
The PDP primary election was held from Sunday, September 30, until the earky morning hours of Monday, October 1, 2018. About 1,500 accredeted delegates were present from the - LGAs of the state. Bello Matawalle emerged winner with 1,426 (98.25%) delegate votes after his only opponent, Sahabi Ya'u, was 'made to step down' for him.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election, Primary election, APC primary
The APC primary elections in Zamfara State could not be held before the deadline set by the INEC, leading the disqualification of all APC candidates. The election was earlier scheduled for Sunday, September 30, but postponed to Monday, October 1, 2018. The rescheduled election was finally held on Wednesday, October 3, 2018, but then cancelled by the party's National Working Committee (NWC) due to the violence that marred the process.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election, Primary election, APC primary
The party, however, announced Mukhtar Shehu Idris as winner of the parallel election organized by the incumbent governor, Abdul'aziz Abubakar Yari, on Sunday, October 7, 2018, in which Idris was said to have polled 310,380 votes, closely followed by Senator Kabiru Marafa with 54,607 votes. Other were Alh. Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi with 5,514 votes, Alh. Ibrahim Wakkala Muhammad 517 votes, Alh. Sagir Hamidu Gusau 102 votes, Alh. Aminu Sani Jaji 12,039 votes, Alh. Abu Magaji 340 votes, Alh. Dauda Lawal Dare 5,396 votes and Brig. Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (rtd.)


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election, Primary election, APC primary
with 292 votes, as announced by the state party chairman, Alh. Lawali M. Liman. This was to meet the Sunday, October 7, 2018, INEC deadline for all political parties to conclude their primary elections. Nevertheless, even with this result, the INEC insisted the party had no candidate in the state, and barred the party from fielding candidates in the upcoming election in the state. The party thereafter sought using judicial alternative to legalize its candidate at a law court, after which INEC agreed for the party to field candidates for the elections.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election, Results
A total of 42 candidates registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission to contest in the election. APC candidate, Idris Shehu, won election by polling 534,541 votes, defeating APC's Bello Matawalle who came second with 189,452 votes. However, internal party crisis threatened APC's chance to continue governing the state.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election, Results
The total number of registered voters in the state was 1,717,128 while 823,294 voters were accredited. Total number of votes cast was 810,782, while total number of valid votes was 792,938. Total rejected votes were 17,844.


2019 Zamfara State gubernatorial election, Results, By local government area
Here are the results of the election from the local government areas of the state for the two major parties. The total valid votes of 792,913 represents the 42 political parties that participated in the election. Green represents LGAs won by Matawalle. Blue represents LGAs won by Idris.


2019 Zaragoza City Council election
The 2019 Zaragoza City Council election, also the 2019 Zaragoza municipal election, was held on Sunday, 26 May 2019, to elect the 11th City Council of the municipality of  Zaragoza. All 31 seats in the City Council were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain, as well as the 2019 European Parliament election.


2019 Zaragoza City Council election, Electoral system
The City Council of Zaragoza (Spanish: Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza) was the top-tier administrative and governing body of the municipality of Zaragoza, composed of the mayor, the government council and the elected plenary assembly. Elections to the local councils in Spain were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years.


2019 Zaragoza City Council election, Electoral system
Voting for the local assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered and residing in the municipality of Zaragoza and in full enjoyment of their political rights, as well as resident non-national European citizens and those whose country of origin allowed Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of a treaty. Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:


2019 Zaragoza City Council election, Electoral system
The mayor was indirectly elected by the plenary assembly. A legal clause required that mayoral candidates earned the vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party in the assembly was to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, the appointee would be determined by lot.


2019 Zaragoza City Council election, Electoral system
The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they were seeking election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. For the case of Zaragoza, as its population was between 300,001 and 1,000,000, at least 5,000 signatures were required.


2019 Zaragoza City Council election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 16 seats are required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Zaragoza.


2019 Zee Cine Awards
The Zee Cine Awards 2019 ceremony celebrated the best of Indian Hindi-language films of 2018. The ceremony was held on 19 March 2019 at the MMDRA Ground at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai and broadcast on 31 March 2019 on Zee Cinema. The main hosts of the event were Vicky Kaushal and Kartik Aaryan, while Malaika Arora and Ayushmann Khurrana and Aparshakti Khurana hosted a segment each.


2019 Zee Cine Awards, Winners and nominees, Viewers' choice
Nominations for the viewer's choice awards were announced on 23 February 2019 and voting ended on 13 March 2019.


2019 Zee Cine Awards, Performers and presenters, Performers
”Ankhiyon Se Goli Mare” (Pati Patni Aur Woh (2019 film))


2019 Zhengzhou Open
The 2019 Zhengzhou Open was a professional tennis tournament, played on outdoor hard courts. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and part of the Premier series on the 2019 WTA Tour, offering a total of $1,000,000 in prize money. It took place at the Zhongyuan Tennis Training Base Management Center in Zhengzhou, China, on 9–15 September 2019.


2019 Zhengzhou Open, Points and prize money, Prize money
1Qualifiers prize money is also the Round of 32 prize money. *per team


2019 Zhengzhou Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Zhengzhou Open, Doubles entrants, Other entrants
The following pair received a wildcard into the main draw:


2019 Zhengzhou Open – Doubles
Duan Yingying and Wang Yafan were the defending champions, but Wang chose to compete in Nanchang instead. Duan played alongside Zheng Saisai, but lost in the first round to Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove and Bibiane Schoofs.


2019 Zhengzhou Open – Doubles
Nicole Melichar and Květa Peschke won the title, defeating Yanina Wickmayer and Tamara Zidanšek in the final, 6–1, 7–6(7–2).


2019 Zhengzhou Open – Singles
Zheng Saisai was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Ajla Tomljanović.


2019 Zhengzhou Open – Singles
Karolína Plíšková won the title, defeating Petra Martić in the final, 6–3, 6–2.


2019 Zhengzhou Open – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2019 Zhuhai Championships
The 2019 Zhuhai Championships was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 1st edition of the Zhuhai Championships (replacing the Shenzhen Open), and part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the 2019 ATP Tour. It took place at the Hengqin International Tennis Center in Zhuhai, China, from September 23–29.


2019 Zhuhai Championships, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Zhuhai Championships, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following player received entry using a protected ranking into the singles main draw:


2019 Zhuhai Championships, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2019 Zhuhai Championships – Doubles
Sander Gillé and Joran Vliegen won the title, defeating Marcelo Demoliner and Matwé Middelkoop in the final, 7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–4).


2019 Zhuhai Championships – Singles
Alex de Minaur won the title, defeating Adrian Mannarino in the final, 7–6(7–4), 6–4.


2019 Zhuhai Championships – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2019 Zhuhai Open
The 2019 Zhuhai Open was a professional tennis tournament played on hard courts. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and part of the 2019 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Zhuhai, China between 4 and 10 March 2019.


2019 Zhuhai Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Zhuhai Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the singles main draw using their ITF World Tennis Ranking:


2019 Zhuhai Open – Doubles
Denys Molchanov and Igor Zelenay were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2019 Zhuhai Open – Doubles
Gong Maoxin and Zhang Ze won the title after defeating Max Purcell and Luke Saville 6–4, 6–4 in the final.


2019 Zhuhai Open – Singles
Alex Bolt was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2019 Zhuhai Open – Singles
Enrique López Pérez won the title after defeating Evgeny Karlovskiy 6–1, 6–4 in the final.


2019 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League
The 2019 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League will be the 40th season of the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, the top-tier football in Zimbabwe. The season will start on 30 March 2019.


2019 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League, Teams
The league will consist of the top 14 teams from the 2018 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League and four promoted sides, Hwange F.C., Manica Diamonds F.C., TelOne F.C, and Mushowani Stars F.C.


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen
The 2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on August 3, 2019, at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Contested over 82 laps on the 2.45-mile (3.94 km) road course, it was the 20th race of the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Austin Cindric won his first career Xfinity Series race after catching, passing, and holding off experienced Watkins Glen cup winner AJ Allmendinger, who would later be disqualified from the event.


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen, Background, Track
Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen, Practice, First practice
Kyle Busch was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 72.737 seconds and a speed of 121.259 mph (195.147 km/h).


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen, Practice, Final practice
Kyle Busch was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 72.377 seconds and a speed of 121.862 mph (196.118 km/h).


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen, Qualifying
Kyle Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 71.098 seconds and a speed of 124.054 mph (199.646 km/h).


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen, Race, Summary
Kyle Busch started on pole. In the first lap, Tyler Reddick slid through the grass and overshot the carousel, forcing him to pit and remove the grass from his grill. Ross Chastain turned Justin Allgaier into the fence after Allgaier drove across the nose of Chastain's car. In the final lap of Stage 1, Allgaier got revenge and slammed Chastain into the tire wall, ending Chastain's day. Busch took the win for stage 1.


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen, Race, Summary
Christopher Bell took the lead afterwards, but was passed by Ryan Blaney, who quickly pulled away. Busch caught up to Blaney with 10 laps remaining in the stage and took the lead going into the carousel, but the suspension of Busch's car broke while exiting the carousel and went off-course, ending his day.


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen, Race, Summary
A. J. Allmendinger managed to win Stage 2 until he had to pit, giving the lead to Allgaier, who in turn passed it to Austin Cindric until the caution was thrown for debris in the inner loop with 14 laps remaining. In the next restart, Justin Haley, Josh Bilicki and others got together and brought out the final caution. Allmendinger took the lead on the final restart, battling with Cindric via bumps and runs. In the end, Cindric managed to get by Allmendinger and held him off to win the race.


2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen, After the race
A. J. Allmendinger was disqualified (once again) from his runner-up finish after post-race inspection due to the rear of his car being too low. His stage points were also revoked and he was relegated to a 37th place finish. Allmendinger was also disqualified at the July Daytona race a month prior. He stated on Twitter that his car became lower due to contact during an early restart in the race.


2019 al-Rai bombing
A truck bomb exploded outside a hospital on 15 September 2019 in al-Rai, Aleppo Governorate, Syria, killing 12 civilians.


2019 al-Rai bombing, Attack
On the evening of 15 September 2019 a truck bomb was detonated in the parking lot next to Al-Rai Hospital, killing at least 12 and injuring many more civilians, according to the initial report from the White Helmets civil defense group. The explosion and debris also destroyed houses near the hospital, prompting White Helmets to carry out search and rescue operations in the area.


2019 al-Rai bombing, Casualties
12 civilians were killed in the bombing and many were wounded. A pharmacist and two of his children were among those killed, according to the deputy head of the town council, Alaa al-Hammad.


2019 al-Rai bombing, Reactions
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay condemned the incident on Twitter saying, "Terror targets indiscriminately all humanity. Turkey will resolutely continue its fight against terror inside and outside of its borders".


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan anti-Muslim riots were a series of religiously motivated riots targeting Muslims in Sri Lanka. The riots originated as isolated incidents in the aftermath of the Easter bombings in the nation, beginning in Chilaw and subsequently spreading to much of the Northwestern Province.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka
Muslim citizens, mosques and other properties were attacked by mobs of Sinhala Buddhist nationalists, and at least one incident in which attacks were carried out by a Christian-majority mob. Only one death was reported, Saleem Ameer who was killed by a mob wielding swords. Other sources claimed 9 deaths, but the claims are unconfirmed. Other news agencies have reported that over 540 Muslim-owned houses and properties have been destroyed, in addition to upwards of 100 vehicles.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka
Similar to the anti-Muslim riots of 2018, locals in affected areas have noted the arrival of outsiders in buses to participate in the rioting, raising concerns that these attacks had been orchestrated beforehand.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka
On 3 June 2019, all Muslim cabinet ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers, decided to resign from their positions. At the media briefing, Minister Rauff Hakeem stated that the decision was made to allow space for thorough and unhindered investigations of alleged terror links of politicians. The announcement was made during rapidly rising anti-Muslim sentiment, following recent incidents.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka
As of 6 June 2019, propagation of hate speech and fake news has been made a crime, liable of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years, a fine exceeding Rs. 1 million ($ 5,600), or both. The move was proposed by Ranjith Maddumabandara in his capacity as Acting Minister of Justice, and approved by the cabinet decision.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Arrests
On 14 May, Sri Lankan authorities arrested 23 people in connection with the riots. Amongst those remanded into custody was Amith Weerasinghe, the leader of the Sinhala-Buddhist group Mahason Balakaya, who was taken in for questioning regarding his role in the riots, and regarding his alleged racial and religious hate speech, posted and distributed through social media channels. Additionally, Namal Kumara, an anti-corruption activist previously involved with a plot to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena was arrested.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Arrests
On 18 May, Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara arrived at the office of the Deputy Inspector General, urging that the arrested rioters be released on bail; Weerashinge was subsequently granted bail, on two sureties of Rs. 1 million each. On 21 June, CEO of Derana Dilith Jayaweera was charged with violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, due to a controversial speech he made at a book launch.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Damage
According to a preliminary report published by Daily Mirror on 30 May 2019, through data obtained from Gampaha District's Minuwangoda Divisional Secretariat, 12 houses, 64 businesses, 1 mosque, and 9 vehicles were damaged or destroyed during the anti-Muslim riots. There were 4 casualties in Minuwangoda.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Damage
As the Kurunegala District Divisional Secretariats of Bingiriya, Kuliyapitiya East, Kuliyapitiya West, Nikaweratiya, Panduwasnuwara, Wariyapola, was also damaged in the rioting, data from the district has not yet been formally published by them. Although, UK-based charity NGO Muslim Aid, stated that 457 families were affected, and 147 houses, 132 businesses, 29 mosques, 52 vehicles, and 2 public facilities, were damaged or destroyed during the anti-Muslim riots. There were 5 casualties in Kurunegala District.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Release of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara
Buddhist hardline monk and general secretary of Bodu Bala Sena (Buddhist Power Force) Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, was arrested in August 2018 for contempt of court to serve a 6-year sentence. Since 2014, the monk has also faced accusations in cases regarding anti-Muslim violence, hate speech, and defaming the Koran, and was also caught on video last year, plotting anti-Muslim attacks with the Mahason Balakaya, another Buddhist hardline group. He is also known to have signed a pact with Myanmar's Ashin Wirathu, a key figure in Myanmar's anti-Muslim riots and massacres.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Release of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara
On 18 May 2019, a senior official from the Department of Prisons confirmed that there was no plan of releasing the monk under presidential pardon on Vesak Poya Day, a Buddhist religious holiday, although 762 prisoners were expected to be released.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Release of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara
On 22 May 2019, in a shock move which were condemned by many including International Crisis Group, Gnanasara was released under a special presidential pardon by Maithripala Sirisena, without further comments from the president's office.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Release of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara
On 23 May 2019, Gnanasara made a public statement asking his supporters to be calm and to act judiciously for the sake of the country. He further went on to state that he will spend the rest of his days by following the Dhamma as a Buddhist monk. The following day, he attended a special meeting at the President's office.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Release of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara
On 28 May 2019, in another shock move, Gnanasara stated that "there is no time to rest, no time to engage in Dhamma and meditation; attaining nirvana can wait", and vowed to resume his activities as the BBS secretary.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Release of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara
On 2 June 2019, speaking to the media, Gnanasara promised to cause countrywide pandemonium (sanakeli) if the government does not take action on his demands of removing the controversial Muslim politicians from the parliament.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Release of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara
On 7 June Gnanasara's travel ban was temporarily lifted as he received a foreign scholarship and announced that he will leave Sri Lanka for studies.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Alleged collusion by security forces
In Minuwangoda, police and armed forces were accused of allowing rioters get away with crimes, with at least one incident where police officers watched as rioters destroyed property.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Alleged collusion by security forces
Collusion by security forces has also been captured on CCTV, which purportedly show a soldier signalling towards a group of rioters and disappearing off screen, seconds before the group including officers, starts attacking a mosque. On 17 May, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake explained that the soldier had not invited the mob, but instead was fixing the strap of his firearm.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes
The rioters initially attacked the Muslim population in retaliation of the Easter bombings, which saw a series of terror attacks carried out by ISIL-backed National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ). It subsequently escalated to the Islamophobic sentiment in the country, after more incidents and a number of rumour-based news articles worsened the situation. Fears of xenophobia were also evident in early June.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes
The government blocked major social media networks and messaging services Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Viber, Snapchat and YouTube during peak rioting. The blocking included VPN service providers that could be used to circumvent the blocks.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes, Alleged terror links of Muslim politicians
The activities of NTJ and its leader Zahran Cassim were known as early as 2014, with a number of public protests and demonstrations carried out by the Kattankudy Muslim community, urging the government to take action. In 2016, twenty-three Muslim Religious and Civil Society organizations headed by the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama issued a statement against activities of the NTJ. The NTJ was known by the community to incite violence against non-Muslims. In 2017, it had carried out a brutal sword attack against the Muslims who stood against the group's ideologies. Despite the incidents and protests, the failure of any action against the NTJ was deemed as a major government failure.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes, Alleged terror links of Muslim politicians
On 10 May 2019, several hartals were held in Trincomalee and suburbs, demanding the removal of Eastern Province governor Mahamood Hizbullah. On 30 May Ven. Warakapola Indrasiri Nayake Thera, Eastern Province Sangha Nayake and Chief Incumbent of Muhudu Maha Viharaya in Pottuvil revealed that Islamic extremists supported by Hizbullah are renaming places in the Eastern Province in Arabic and illegally taking over archaeological sites in what was called an "Islamic rule" . The road to the Muhudu Maha Viharaya  itself was renamed "Masjithul Palah Road". The accusations were backed by the Federation of Kattankudy Mosques and Institutions who accused Hizbullah of beginning mass Arabaization of the East and claimed that Muslims only learn Arabic to understand the Quran and do not support Arabic name boards.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes, Alleged terror links of Muslim politicians
When questioned by the PSC Hizbullah claimed that the Arabic name boards were to attract tourists and when questioned over meeting Zahran Hashim he claimed that Muslim politicians from the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress as well as the UPFA and UNP had met Zahran before the 2015 General Election due to his followers having 2000-3000 votes. He accepted that they knew him as an extremist preacher but at the time he was not considered terrorist. The Muslim politicians signed an agreement which included a ban on music and gender segregation which his supporters violated by using music in rallies.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes, Alleged terror links of Muslim politicians
Hizbullah blamed Zahran acting against him after the incident for his election defeat. However, when the PSC questioned Maulavi K. R. M. Sahlan who represents the Sufi Sect it was revealed that the agreement included more controversial clauses such as refusal to support "moderate" Muslims and Sufis as well as a condition saying the political parties should support extremists such as the National Thawheed Jama'ath. Sahlan revealed that in addition to Hizbullah those that signed the agreement included Shafi Salley, Shibly Farook, A.L.M. Ruby and Abdul Rahman


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes, Alleged terror links of Muslim politicians
Parliamentarian and Buddhist monk Athuraliye Rathana Thero began a fast-unto-death at the Temple of the Tooth on 31 May 2019, demanding the removal of Muslim politicians Rishad Bathiudeen, Mahamood Hizbullah, and Azath Salley.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes, Alleged terror links of Muslim politicians
On 1 June, a monk and President of Jathika Sangha Sammelanaya, Liyanwala Sasanaratana, urged people to join the efforts of Rathana Thero, to save the nation from terrorists. Other monks joined gathered at the location, chanting pirith. Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith also visited the monk, on 3 June. Malcolm's visit was criticised by the Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera, who stated in a tweet that the "Cardinal fanned flames of hatred by visiting robed MP Rathana". Mangala's tweet resulted in him being banned by clergy, to attend a number of Buddhist temples in the country, and a condemnation by the Catholic Church.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes, Alleged terror links of Muslim politicians
On 3 June, Athuraliye Rathana broke his fast, and was hospitalised, after Azath and Hizbullah voluntary resigned due to growing pressure. Rishad too stepped down, later that day, in a separate process.


2019 anti-Muslim riots in Sri Lanka, Causes, Alleged terror links of Muslim politicians
In a separate event on the same day, all Muslim cabinet ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers, resigned from their official positions, to allow space for investigators to conduct thorough investigations of possible terror links of politicians. On 5 June, a statement was issued by the chief prelates of the Maha Sangha (Buddhist organisation) consisting of the three largest Buddhist monastic orders, Siam Nikaya, Amarapura Nikaya, and Ramanna Nikaya, expressing disappointment in the resignations, and urging them to accept their own responsibilities and fulfil duties to serve the people of the country.